Portable chair



rra sTns PATENT cron.

ZEBULON LYFORD, OF LOVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

PORTABLE CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,877, dated May 13, 1856.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ZEBULON LYronn, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have inl vented a novel and useful Self-Operating Portable Folding Chair; and I hereby de` clare that the following specication and accompanying drawings and thereon constitute a lucid, clear, and exact description of the construction and use of the same.

In referring to the said drawings, Figure 1, denotes a. plan or top View when unfolded for use; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, an end elevation of it; Fig. t, a longitudinal and vertical section on line A, B, Fig. l. Fig. 5, denotes a side elevation of my chair when folded up together. Fig. 6, is a vertical, transverse, and central section of the same on line C, D, Fig. 5.

Inocn2'0n.-The nature of my invention consists of a self operating portable folding chair, or seat hereafter described, which is so constructed that it may be inst-antly folded together to resemble a valise or carpet bag, and which may be instantly unfolded to sit upon in the open air or otherwise, all as hereafter described.

0onstmwtz'on.-To enable persons skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and carry out the same, I will proceed to describe it as follows: I construct two frames of wood seen at A, A. These frames are hinged together by the butts B, B, so that they can be folded together as seen at Fig. 5, or be unfolded as seen at Figs. l, 2, 3, and et the outside of each frame A, may be covered with the ordinary cane seat as seen at C, which is very light and easy to carry about other covering may be used if desired. I construct a set of legs or supports seen at D, D, and so attach them to the inside of each frame A by means of the screw pins, or turning points E, E that they will swing out when the chair is unfolded so as to constitute the legs or supports for it, and so that these legs will fold into the space left in the inside of each frame A, when these frames constituting the outside of the chair are folded together.

At F can be seen, a band made of leather or any other suitable substance, with a buckle, or its' mechanical equivalent seen at references I, at or near its center so as to shorten or lengthen this band F, as will be seen to be necessary hereafter. The arbor or upper portion of the legs D, seen at Gr, are so shaped as to receive one end of the band F which coils around, and is firmly secured to the arbor G, so that this band F will operate to swing out each leg D into the desired position to support the seat when my chair is unfolded. It will be seen that the distance between the legs or support-s D is increased when the chair is unfolded, which increasing distance causes the arbor or part of the leg G and D to turn o-r swing out to its proper' position for use, by means of the band F, the legs or supports D, D, being stopped when turned out into the desired posit-ion by striking that portion of the frame seen at H, the band F, in conjunction with the part of the frame seen at I-I which the legs strike against and the surfaces J, J, of the frame A answering to firmly hold and steady the legs D, D, and the chair itself while it is being used.

The purpose of the buckle I being to easily adjust the band or strap F, so as to swing out the legs D, D, as aforesaid, this band F readily folds into the space in the frame A, A, when they are folded together as will be readily seen by examining the drawings.

At one end of each of the frames A, A, I secure a handle seen at K, so that when the chair is folded together these handles will answer to easily and conveniently carry the chair about when desired, either out of doors or in doors. The catch seen at L is to hold my portable chair together when it is folded up.

I intend. to usel the excess space in the frames A, A, fo-r any portable article which may be carried in it. A folding or swinging back to my portable chair can be easily provided if desirable, for the person using it.

Usa- All that is necessary in using my portable chair is to unhook the catch L, and unfold the two parts of the seat or frame A, A, until they are on a straight line with each other, the unfolding of the parts A, A, causes the band F to draw or swing out each of the legs D, ready for use, as will be seen at Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Thus simply opening my chair causes all the parts to ing, portable chair, or its mechanical equivalent .eonstructed, arranged, and operated 10 essentially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

ZEBLON LYFORD. Witnesses:

E. W. SCOTT, WM. B. MERRILL. 

